The Road to Toad
by C.O.Y.L
Summary: How hard was it to summon a toad right? Especially when remaining perfectly still. Naruto finds out as he tried to summon during his match with Neji. "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" "Well now, I din't expect to be summoned by a youngin' without Pa."
1. Chapter 1: Kuchiyose no Jutsu?

**The road to Toad**

**Oh God. That title. I have no idea if it's badass, or half-assed. But whatever. And I am ashamed. Over 6 stories being written all at the same time. Damn my mind. Maybe I should just write one shots, that way, when I post something, it's over and done with. But whatever. This idea has been long in my head, so enjoy this rather stale idea, I mean, stale for me.**

**XxX**

"Just give up, no matter what you do, fate has ordained your loss today Uzumaki." Neji Hyugga said with confidence as he crossed his arms over his chest and stared at the heavily panting Naruto Uzumaki.

So far, over the course of the match, Neji had been systematically bearing down on Naruto's bravado. Naruto had tried every trick in his book, but no matter what he did; Neji was always a step ahead and had a counter to it.

"I will never give up; I never go back on my word, that's my nindo, my ninja way. I told you. I'd kick your ass to the ground, and that's what I'll be doing." Naruto said as he steadily got back up on his feet, his orange jacket open revealing the black shirt underneath, his hair dirtier and messier then usual, and his blue eyes filled with determination. He stood up straight and prepared his signature move again. Neji sighed as he got into his taijutsu stance again.

"**Kage bushin no jutsu!**" Naruto shouted again as the stadium floor were filled with Naruto clones again. Some were sticking to the walls, and some were in the bleachers with the watchers. Neji just remained impassive as he was charged again by the clones.

**XxX**

'_Damn it, gotta think. How do I beat this guy? He's too strong to face head on without back up. Oh man, what do I do? I don't have any other jutsu that'll give me backup other then Kage bushin and Summoning…. That's it! All I have to do is someone boss toad Gamabunta! That'll beat his ass! He can't be as strong as a giant toad! All right. Now I just need time to gather chakra for the summoning. I'll hide behind these clones; hopefully, Neji'll take longer trying to beat these guys." _Naruto smiled triumphantly at his plan as he hid among the masses of his clones. He then sat down in an inconspicuous place as he sat down cross legged and made the tiger seal. He reached down for chakra, but almost choked too find out that he had almost none left. He grew nervous, thinking that this amount of chakra can't possibly summon the boss toad. But he shook his head as he closed his eyes and started gathering chakra. It took a matter of ten seconds for him to use up all of his chakra, but his chakra didn't deplete. He didn't notice that he was gathering chakra from another source, or rather, other sources.

**XxX**

**Three minutes and 21 seconds….**

"Come on! Beat that brat already!" A spectator shouted as he booed at the show.

"Yeah! This is getting boring! We wanna see Uchiha-sama's fight now! So get on with it!" Another shouted.

"Boo!" The crowd shouted as they started getting restless at the fight.

But their complaints were landing on deaf ears in the nin's section. The spectators in the ninja section were getting restless at this repeat of a massacre of Naruto clones massacre.

"Geez, that Naruto, can't he at least think of something new? He tried this awhile ago, it didn't turn out well. So why is he doing this again?" Sakura Haruno, the pink haired member of Team 7, said exasperated at her team mates repeat strategy. Beside her, Ino Yamanaka nodded in agreement.

"Yeah. But don't you think it's weird though? I mean, this is Naruto we're talking about." She said as she turned around and looked at her friend. Sakura raised an eyebrow at that.

"What do you mean?" She asked. Before Ino could answer, she was interrupted by the sound of crunching. Ino turned to her left and glared at her team mate Chouji Akimichi. Chouji immediately swallowed what he was chewing as he quietly hid his chips from the Blonde girls glare.

"Ahehe. Sorry 'bout that Ino. As you were saying?" Chouji chuckled nervously as Ino squinted her eyes and turned back to Sakura.

"As I was saying. This isn't like Naruto. I mean, we all know what he's like right?" Ino said as she focused back on the match and saw Neji dismantle another five clones that charged at him. Sakura cocked her head at Ino's explanation, not at all getting what she meant.

"I reiterate, what do you mean?" Sakura asked again, earning a sigh from her friend.

"Geez forehead. You should know more about Naruto, isn't he your team mate? I know Sasuke-kun is irresistibly hot, but not paying attention to your team mate's abilities might lead to misunderstanding in the future. And the last thing a team needs is for one member to be underestimated by his team mates while protecting a client. What if the client was attacked by an overwhelming opponent? One where you'd need your whole team to take down. And thinking that one of your team mates will just get in the way, you send him to run with the client. That'll kill you guys, and the last thing I need is for one of my friends to die for making their team mate believe they were weak." Ino with a straight face. Sakura just looked in amazement at Ino's maturity. But before she could say anything, Ino turned back to her and stuck her tongue out.

"Don't get me wrong, I want Sasuke for myself. But I don't want to lose a friend forever just because they were incompetent as a team mate." Ino giggled as Sakura gaped at her.

"A-anyway. Really, what do you mean? What about Naruto's strategy is weird?" Sakura asked again, but before Ino could answer. Someone beat her to it.

"It's weird because it's Naruto that's using that strategy." A lazy voice sounded behind everyone. Everyone turned around and saw a slouched kid with hair shaped like a pineapple lazily approach them.

"Oh Shika! You're better already?" Ino asked the lazy kid. He nodded at her.

"Yeah, just chakra exhaustion, nothing too major. Anyway, to answer your question Sakura. It's weird because it's unlike Naruto to try something twice. Remember? All his pranks were new every time he did them in the academy. He never liked lessons that repeated, and he was always looking for something new. So for Naruto to do something _again _–"

" – That mean's he up to something new!" Sakura pounded her fist into her hand as she connected the dots. Shikamaru only nodded.

"Now the question is…. What is he up to?" Shikamaru asked no one as he turned his attention back into the fight.

**XxX**

**8 minutes and 49 seconds….**

Ridiculous, this was getting ridiculous. Neji thought to himself as he defeated another batch of clones. He was getting annoyed by the number of clones coming at him. He could easily dispatch sure, but he was getting worn down by their numbers. At this rate, he may end up getting too tired to even….

He shook his head at the thought. _'No, he is just stalling his fate. This match has been decided the moment I was his opponent. He cannot possibly win. All foreseeable outcomes point to his defeat.'_ Neji thought as he dispatched more clones.

Finally, after a few more handful of clones were dispatched, there were only six more clones standings. He eyed them warily as they seemed to be standing in a straight line, almost as if they were hiding something from him. He shook his head clear and charged at the clones. The clones charged back each with its own battle cry.

The first clone was easily dispatched by a palm on the chest. Neji pivoted as he blew through the smoke the clone left behind and struck two points into another clone, dispelling it as well. He was caught off guard however as a clone managed to grab hold of his hand and managed to swipe at his feet. But he didn't land on the ground, instead. Neji used both his feet and pushed them hard on the ground, he flew up in the air, still being held onto by the clone. As he straightened himself in the air, he threw the clone into another charging clone. Dispelling both instantly. Neji landed on his feet and was met by a punch to the face that he narrowly avoided. He hit the owner three times before it too dispelled. As the smoke cleared, he suddenly heard footsteps behind him. He pivoted on his heels and used his palm to deliver an extra powerful strike at the clone as it dispelled. The smoke following the shockwave of the hit as the smoke formed a cone from Neji's palm.

Neji smirked as he saw no other clones left on the battlefield. He then turned around to be met by a standing Naruto Uzumaki. Who was sweating profusely as he saw that attack.

"I told you. It's no use, you cannot fight fate. A loser like you cannot possibly fight an opponent that is stronger then him. Just give up and save yourself the humiliation." Neji said with confidence as he straightened himself and crossed both his arms over his chest. Naruto didn't bat an eye at this.

"Screw you ponytail. I told you, I don't give two asses about fate. Fate can go kiss my ass for all I care. All I know is that I'm gonna kick your ass into next week." Naruto shouted as he charged at Neji, who only sighed as he readied himself to counter whatever sloppy move he gave out next. He was surprised however when the boy suddenly threw two kunai at him. Neji dodged both kunai as they imbedded themselves on the ground. Neji looked mildly annoyed at that.

"Really? Stop fighting and just accept your defeat." Neji all but shouted, instead of words however. He was met with the sounds of hissing. He turned his head to see that both kunai had unfurled explosive tags from their handles, and both were ignited.

'_Crap!'_ Neji shouted as he rapidly spun around, hoping to let the kaiten take the brunt of the damage.

The tags exploded not two seconds later, and the stadium flashed with an explosive display. Naruto had jumped out of the way and onto the wall as he watched the explosion take place. The crowd cheered at the sudden turn from boring fight, to explosive show. While the ninja in the bleachers only smiled at that move. It was so…. Naruto.

"He he. Now that's the Naruto we know. Just leave it to him for a show of epic proportions." Chouji said with a smile as he munched down on more chips. Shikamaru nodded his head in agreement, while Sakura and Ino just stared slack jawed at what happened.

"He did it! Naruto actually beat Neji!" Sakura shouted as she jumped from her seat in excitement. Ino followed suit, they were about to jump into the stadium to congratulate him, but were both stopped by a man's voice.

"Hold on there you two. The match isn't over yet. A lazy man's voice sounded. The four genins turned to see a white haired jounin teacher with his head band covering one eye looking at them.

"Kakashi-sensei! You're here! You're late though, Naruto won his match." Sakura said with pride as he looked at Naruto's form on the wall.

"That dobe hasn't won yet. Take a closer look Sakura." A cool voice sounded from behind Kakashi. Sakura muffled an eep as the owner of the voice showed himself. It was Sasuke Uchiha.

"Sasuke-kun! You're back!" Sakura shouted in surprise as she looked at his other team mate.

"Hn." Was his usual stoic reply.

Ino was about to ask what he was talking about, but before she opened her mouth. The crowed irrupted into cheers. The genins and jounin turned back to the match and saw that in the middle of the explosions crater, stood a lightly burned Neji Hyuuga.

"I admit, that caught me off guard Uzumaki. But it is as destiny foresaw. You will lose today." Neji shouted in triumph as he suddenly disappeared from the crater's center. Naruto looked around frantically from the wall, but before he could react. He heard something that made his blood run cold.

"You are in my field of divination." The voice said ominously.

**XxX**

**9 minutes 32 seconds…**

"Oh my. That poor boy. Looks like he loses this one isn't that right Hokage-dono?" The Kazekage said under his blue hat as he watched the match between Naruto and Neji. The old Hokage merely nodded his head at the truth.

"I'm afraid so. Though he may have lost this match, he has shown great heart in the face of adversary. I would gladly recommend him for Chuunin, wouldn't you agree Kazekage-dono?" Sarutobi Hiruzen said. The Kazekage merely nodded his head.

"I agree. Though the boy lacks finesse, I cannot deny the fact that this boy has shown potential, especially with the odds stacked against him." The Kazekage said sagely. Hiruzen merely nodded and turned back to the match.

**XxX**

**9 minutes 47 seconds…..**

"2 palms!" Neji shouted as he thrust two palms on Naruto's chest. Naruto couldn't hold back as his spit was ejected forcefully from his mouth.

"4 palms!" Neji repeated, doubling the attack number. Naruto nearly doubled over, but he managed to remain on the wall with Neji. But he wasn't done yet.

"8 palms! 16 palms!" Neji shouted as he quadrupled the number. Naruto was in immense pain now.

"32 palms!" Neji doubled it again. Naruto was being forced back, up towards the wall.

"**Eight trigrams: 64 palms!**" Neji shouted as he used the last attack to send Naruto up and over the bleachers. The crowd cheered as they saw Naruto reach the apex and started falling down towards the hard ground. With a sickening thud. He landed. The ninja's that knew him cringed at the sight of the downed Naruto. Neji only sighed he walked back down and stood over the downed Naruto. Naruto was still awake, barely though. Neji took this opportunity to finally talk to him openly.

"When I was born. My fate was to be a servant of the main branch." Neji started as he started taking off his head band.

"My father was the twin brother of my uncle. But, my father was born minutes after my uncle, making him the younger brother. And in the Hyuuga clan, if you were not of the main branch, you were branded with a special seal to suppress the full power of **Byakugan**. The moment you are branded with this seal, your fate as a Hyuuga was sealed. It meant that you were supposed to serve the main branch without question, blindly following them. The moment I was born, I was branded with this seal." Neji said as he removed the headband, revealing an intricate blue seal on his forehead.

"This seal meant that you were a branch member. That you were fated to serve the main branch. You cannot take it off, and you cannot question it. No man can change his fate." Neji finished as he put on the headband. He turned to the proctor.

"Proctor. Call the match. This fight is over." Neji said as he started walking away from the arena.

"Hold. The match is not over." The proctor said as he coughed. Neji turned around and quirked an eyebrow at that.

"Proctor-san, it is obvious that my opponent cannot fight back. Please call the mat-" But before Neji could finish that sentence. He saw the Naruto on the ground vanish in a puff of smoke.

"A clone!" Neji shouted alarmed as he reactivated his Byakugan and searched for Naruto. The crowd was in an uproar at the turn of events. They were all booing as they saw Naruto disappear into a puff of smoke.

While the ninja spectators were in awe at what happened.

"How did he do that?! I thought clones dispelled the moment you hit them! That clone took 64 hits!" Ino shouted as she stood up in shock at the turn of events. Shikamaru sighed at the noise.

"Quiet down woman! Your shouting is troublesome." Shikamaru said as he turned back to the match, Chouji joining him. Sasuke only smirked at what happened, while Sakura was in awe at that.

"Ne Yamanaka-chan. It's best if you look underneath the underneath. Naruto is known for surprises. So it's best to keep watching and see what happens no?" Kakashi said with an eye smile. He was proud of his student for what he did. He pumped more chakra into that one clone so it wouldn't dispel right away. That meant he was buying time. For what? Well, he'll just have to wait and see.

**XxX**

**10 minutes…..**

"Where is he!" Neji shouted as he frantically looked left and right for any chakra signature. He didn't find one however. He growled in frustration. But before he could recheck the area. Naruto jumped up from the hole in the ground caused by a previous match. He still had the tiger seal formed, but he seemed to be gathering chakra.

'_Impossible! I don't see any chakra coming from him!'_ Neji thought as he charged at the blonde. Before he could come close however. Naruto removed the tiger seal and started doing hand seals.

'_Come on! You can do this!'_ Naruto thought as he finished the hand seals and bit his thumb for blood. He slammed his hands on the ground and opened his eyes to reveal that it had changed. His iris was now black and was slanted to the side in a rectangle, and his whites were yellows now. As his hand touched the ground, he immediately felt a surge of power.

"**Kuchiyose no Jutsu!**" Naruto shouted praying to whatever god there is that he did it right. The field erupted into smoke. The field was covered by smoke and people were scrambling to see what kind of jutsu that was. The spectators were on the edge of their seats, including the ninja's in the bleachers. While Naruto was holding his breath as he waited for the smoke to clear.

"**Well now, I din't expect to be summoned by a youngin' without Pa.**" A frail old voice sounded as the smoke cleared.

**XxX**

**And that's a wrap! Honestly. This is kinda a short chapter for me. So if you like this, expect longer chapters soon. This idea was stuck in the back of my head for a long while. And I just got around to writing it. And just to warn you people, expect updates to be few and far between (maybe). I have three other stories I'm working on that need updating. Not including this one. And I have three other stories that need publishing and writing to completion. Including this one. So that makes 6 stories in my pocket. May God have mercy on my soul.**

**C.O.Y.L out. Peace!**


	2. Chapter 2: Hypocrite

**The Road to Toad**

**Disclaimer: I own my ass, and nothing else. Except for any oc's or any original conversation and insightful thinking that comes this fic's way.**

**Anyway, I made this Fic because of one simple question. 'Why didn't Naruto summon during his match with Neji?' Now some-a you might argue. "Because he wants to beat Neji by himself!" But then I think. "He's a fucking ninja, ninja don't need honor." And then I thought. "Ah fuck it. Let him accidentally summon something else." And then Shima. I mean, obviously this is AU. But Canon Naruto is known to do stuff that he wouldn't normally do to beat his opponents. So why not this? Anyway. Enough with this. I'mma get to writing.**

**XxX**

The crowd was speechless as the cloud of smoke dissipated. Revealing a small green toad with a cloak covering its body. The toad seemed to have a purple head piece, or was that its hair? Either way, it was diminutive in nature, even for something as small as a toad. After a short two seconds. The crowd erupted into laughter.

"Ohh this is rich! That demon brat summoned a measly toad! What's he gonna do with it? 'Tongue' you to death? Ahahaha!" One voice shouted from the crowd, the crowd erupted into bigger laughs as they watched on. As the civilian watchers laughed, the ninja in the bleachers only sighed. Typical Naruto to turn something dramatic into anti-climactic. Sakura sighed while Sasuke repressed a chuckle at the sight of a gaping Naruto. Ino merely giggled a bit at Naruto's face, while Chouji stopped eating to shake his head in disappointment. Shikamaru muttered a 'Troublesome.' Before he lowered his head to sleep.

While the genin and newer generations of ninja were gaping at the anti-climactic summoning. The older ninja were gaping like fishes at what Naruto summoned. Since they knew that it was impossible to summon without a contract, and that the Toad contract was with one man and one man only. They knew this was the same toad that Jiraiya had summoned before, during the Kyuubi's attack. They knew just how strong this toad was. She had single handedly repelled one of the Kyuubi's tale with her tongue. They knew she meant business.

While the crowd was laughing, the shinobi gaping. The Hokage's eyes bulged out of their sockets.

"O-oh my. I believe we have that miracle Kazekage-dono. Naruto is just full of surprises." Hiruzen said with a slight smile forming on his lips. The Kazekage merely remained quiet as he continued to watch with narrowed eyes at the turn of events.

**XxX**

"Hey Sonny. Mind telling an old toad where exactly she is?" The toad asked as she jumped from the ground and landed on Naruto's shoulder. Naruto was still gaping as he looked at the old toad. While the toad saw his expression and rapped him on the head.

"It ain't nice to stare sonny. Now, care to answer an old toad's question?" The toad asked again. Naruto really couldn't believe at what happened, he was hit on the head, _by a small toad_! The crowd's laughter worsened at that, they laughed harder then before. Naruto cursed himself as he sighed.

"Sure Oba-chan. We're in Konoha's Stadium. We're in the middle of a match. And apparently. I summoned _you._" Naruto said as he punctuated the you. The toad raised an eyebrow at that.

"What're you talking about sonny? And what do you mean by me?" The toad asked. Naruto cursed himself again as he scratched his head in frustration.

"Gahh! All I wanted was for boss toad to get here so he could kick Neji's tight ass! But all I get is a small old- Gah!" Naruto couldn't continue that sentence as he was hit on the head again by the same toad.

"Don't go talking about a woman's age like it was nothing. It's rude." The toad said as she harrumphed and stared straight ahead. She was met with the eyes of another boy; this one had gray eyes and had a ponytail. The boy was seemingly smirking at what happened.

"So you can summon. But it looks like your summon doesn't listen to you. If you were looking for a miracle. I'm afraid you didn't get one. Now to end this." Neji said with triumph as he started walking towards the now recovered Naruto.

"Like hell I'll let you finish this you pony-tailed bastard! I don't need a summon to beat someone the likes of you!" Naruto shouted as he readied into his sloppy taijutsu stance. The toad on his shoulder saw his stance and raised an eyebrow at how sloppy it was. She didn't comment however. But as she was about to look forward again, she noticed that the kid was now wearing an open coat that was dark orange and had black flames on the bottom of it. The kid didn't seem to notice however that his apparel had changed at all. But the crowd did.

The crowd looked at what Naruto was wearing now, it looked like a copy of the fourth's jacket, but was only darker and had no Kanji written behind it. The coat, along with Naruto's messy hair, open jacket, and confident stance gave them the image of a true warrior. His change of apparel didn't go unnoticed to the rest of the genin watching.

"Hey! What happened to Naruto! He looks so much cooler right now!" Ino commented, earning some nods from Chouji and Sakura. Sasuke only scoffed while Shikamaru woke up from Ino's shouting. Kakashi only stared in awe at the image the young boy was giving.

'_He looks like Sensei.'_ He thought as a small smile appeared behind his mask. '_This match just turned from a curbstomp, to a massacre.' _Kakashi thought as he looked at the match.

**XxX**

"By the way sonny. My name is Shima. What's yours?" Shima asked Naruto. Who only smirked as he answered.

"Naruto Uzumaki. Greatest Ninja in Konoha and future Hokage. You better remember that old – THWAK –" He was hit on the head again by Shima.

"Like I said before sonny. Don't talk about age to a female. So you summoned so you could beat your opponent? Well, I can help with that. But you'll have to do something first." Shima offered with a small smile. But Naruto shook his head.

"No, I can't risk you getting hurt ol-" Shima was ready to hit Naruto's head again, but he cut himself off. "I-I can't risk an innocent getting hurt for my fight." He rephrased. Shima only chuckled at that explanation.

"Believe me when I say I can handle myself sonny. Don't you worry your little head on little ol' me. Focus on fighting your opponent. You'll find that you'll have an easier time fightin' now that you summoned me." Shima said cryptically. But before Naruto could question that, he dodged two strikes coming from Neji.

"2 palms!" He shouted as he thrust his hands forward to hit Naruto. Who somehow managed to dodge both strikes. Neji narrowed his eyes at what happened, but continued on nonetheless.

"4 palms!" Neji thrust two strikes forward again. But yet again, Naruto had dodged those strikes. Now Neji was getting annoyed.

"8 palms! 16 palms! 32 palms!" Neji shouted. Rapidly striking. He was faster now then he was before. Naruto grunted as he continued dodging each and every attack. He seemed to know just where and when the strikes would come, and managed to angle his body just right to avoid every strike coming at him. Neji grit his teeth as he hit nothing but air again.

"64 palms!" Neji shouted with fury now as he continued the technique. Naruto dodged each and every blow. As Naruto relaxed as the technique ended. Neji grinded his teeth. This was impossible! He couldn't possibly dodge every strike! As he finished the last strike, Naruto smiled brightly as he dodged that as well. But Neji couldn't accept what happened so easily. He pushed his body to the limits, calling in more chakra. He refocused his chakra, and continued the technique, successfully evolving it.

"**Eight trigrams: 128 palms!**" Neji shouted, eliciting a gasp from the surprised Naruto and crowd. Naruto tried his best to dodge, but as Neji hit the 90 mark, Naruto was hit. Neji smirked as he continued up to the 127th hit.

"Submit to your fate!" Neji shouted as he pushed the last strike extra hard into Naruto's chest. Making him moan in pain as he doubled over and kneeled on the ground clutching his body. He was shaking horribly as that attack could have turned his heart into mush. Neji merely sneered at his kneeling and shaking form and turned around to walk out of the stadium.

As he let his guard down however, he was blind-sided by a kick to the side of his head. Sending him flying towards the wall. He crashed against it, making a crater where he landed. Neji groaned in pain as he looked up to look at a now standing Naruto, looking like he hadn't taken a hit at all.

"I-impossible! I hit your heart! You should be dead!" Neji shouted in pain as he doubled over and landed on the ground in a heap. Naruto merely shrugged as he rolled his shoulders.

"Yeah I don't know either. That attack shoulda hurt like hell. But it felt more like a punch from Sakura-chan. And believe me; I'm used to those already." Naruto said as he cracked his knuckles. Meanwhile, Shima was smirking on his shoulders as she watched the match with interest. _'Looks like I don't need to help him. Let's see what happens next.'_ She thought.

**XxX**

Meanwhile, up on the bleachers. The watchers were shocked to see that Naruto was standing from that attack. They felt the shockwave from that attack; they knew that it was over. But somehow, he didn't as much as cough up blood. It was ridiculous. The civilian watchers booed again as they watched Naruto stretching.

While the civilians were booing. The ninja's on the bleachers stared wide eyed at the turn of events. Naruto was doubling over in pain one second, and the next, he blind sided Neji with a powerful kick. That was physically impossible unless one trained enough. But Naruto seemed to have done that and more as he stood in the middle, daring Neji to come forward and attack him.

Sakura was worried when Neji struck Naruto on the chest. She panicked as she watched Naruto fall on his knees and shake at that attack. She didn't want to lose a team mate. No matter how much she was annoyed by said team mate, they were still friends, comrades in arm. She almost jumped in there to check on Naruto had it not have been for Kakashi grabbing her arm and stopping her.

"Phew! I really thought he was a goner there! That was awesome though! He was almost as cool as Sasuke-kun when he kicked Neji into next week!" Ino shouted as she jumped up from her seat at the display of power from Naruto. Sakura meanwhile was scowling, not from contempt however, but from worry.

"Geez. That attack scared me. He could have died from that attack." Sakura sighed as she slumped down on her seat. She exhaled in content. Sasuke meanwhile, was busy looking at the stadium, scrutinizing the turn of events.

"Well I have to admit, I didn't expect that. Looks like Naruto's strategy worked out for the better. He got out his trump card." Shikamaru said off handedly, the others nodded their heads in agreements. Kakashi meanwhile only shook his head.

"That's where you're wrong Nara-kun. That wasn't a trump card. Rather a wild card. No man or woman, strong or otherwise would be able to master that technique in 1 month. But nonetheless, this match is as good as over." Kakashi stated, getting looks of confusion from the genin.

Before Shikamaru could ask what he was talking about, a loud shout erupted from behind them.

"Yosh! Kakashi! You're flames of youth seemed to have strengthened ten fold since I last saw my eternal rival!" A man's voice shouted as the owner of said voice suddenly appeared next to Kakashi. This man had a green spandex on under his jounin vest, and his head band was wrapped around his waist. He had a bowler haircut and had ridiculously thick eyebrows. He flashed a thumb up to Kakashi and smiled, it somehow sparkled.

"Oh? When did you get here Gai?" Kakashi said as he looked at Gai with a confused face. Gai only dropped on his knees and cried.

"Curse you Kakashi and your hip ways!" He cried aloud. The genin only looked on at the exchange with confusion.

"Um. Not to interrupt anything but. What exactly did you mean by that Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asked. Kakashi only eye smiled at Sakura.

"It is now. Without a doubt. Impossible for Neji to win." Kakashi said with a chipper tone. The genin looked at him with surprise. Before any of them could ask more questions though, Gai had rebutted.

"I have to dis-agree with you Kakashi. Neji is no pushover, and it would take more then a toad summon to beat him." Gai said as he crossed his arms and looked on at the match with determination. Kakashi didn't respond, instead, he looked forward, towards the match. The other genin took this as a sign to keep watching, so they turned their attention back to the match.

**XxX**

"Just accept your fate Uzumaki!" Neji shouted. His Byakugan active as he charged forward to attack Naruto. Naruto met his attack with an attack on his own as he launched a punch towards Neji's face. Neji thrust his palm forward and landed right on Naruto's chest. While Naruto's punch landed squarely on Neji's cheek. As the attack landed on Neji, a shockwave erupted from the punch as he was thrown back by the force of the punch. He skidded across the ground, finally stopping as he crashed into a tree. But the funny thing is, the tree was split into two as he crashed. Naruto meanwhile, was still where he had punched Neji, and where he had taken the blow.

Naruto looked at his hands as he looked at the destruction he had caused.

"Whoa… This is awesome! I knew I was strong, but damn! This is beyond what I thought about!" Naruto shouted in joy. His celebration was cut short however as Shima had hit Naruto on the head again.

"Focus! You wouldn't want to get hit while you were distracted now would you?" She scolded. Naruto only nodded his head as he refocused on Neji, who was steadily getting up from inside the tree's debris.

Neji had spit out blood as he stared at the still standing form of Naruto. He was utterly enraged, confused, and wanted his blood. Enraged because this was not what was supposed to happen. Fate had deemed him a loser, the dead last in the academy. And that he would lose to him, the rookie of the year, a ninja one year his senior. Confused because no matter where he looked at the boy, he didn't find one trace of chakra at all. He could detect some kind of energy coming from him, but the energy was all but visible to his Byakugan. It was like he wasn't using chakra at all. And to make matters worse, no matter what he did. He couldn't disrupt his chakra coils. It was like he was a berserker. He ignored any and all pain just to hit his opponent and knock him out in one blow. He was blinded with fury as he charged at Naruto again, intending to finish this and fast. He would show this boy what it meant to be chained by fate.

**XxX**

Naruto saw him charging at him, and he charged at him as well. He was about to use the Kage bunshin, but he was stopped by Shima.

"No. Don't use any techniques. You can beat him without any. Just keep fighting and use your instincts to guide you." Shima instructed from his shoulder. Naruto narrowed his eyes, but nodded. Something told him that he needed to listen to this particular toad.

As they got closer to each other. Neji started doing hand seals. After they were done, four more Neji's appeared beside the original. They charged at Naruto at all sides. Naruto stopped in his tracks as he watched the Nejis started surrounding him and started circling him. He was getting disoriented from this. But as he was looking for the real Neji. Shima spoke up again.

"Close your eyes sonny. And focus. Don't let your senses fool you. Reach out and find the real one, you can do it." Shima instructed. Naruto grit his teeth at the instructions, he wasn't gonna do that! Closing one's eyes when fighting was suicide!

"Just listen to me sonny! Do you want to lose?" Shima argued. Naruto begrudgingly closed his eyes and focused. The Nejis saw this and looked on in confusion.

'_What exactly are you doing?'_ He thought as he kept circling Naruto.

Naruto meanwhile was inhaling through his nose, and exhaling from his mouth. Trying to focus. He seemed to be able to see light blue blobs all around him. Whether this be above him, seemingly flying high up in the air, or below him, moving the earth as they moved. But as he focused, he found that there were blobs coming from the distance. Like they were miles away and there were many of them. He shook his head and refocused on the blob circling him. There was only one, and it was right in front of him. The blob jumped into the air towards him.

Naruto opened his eyes and shot an uppercut to Neji. Who was knocked high into the air from the attack. The other Nejis phased through Naruto as they disappeared into the ground. As Neji reached the apex of his jump. Naruto jumped high into the air to Neji's height. His foot up above his head.

"**Naruto Rendan!**" Naruto shouted as he lowered his foot on Neji's stomach. Neji spit out blood as he felt the foot connect to his stomach. The attack caused a light shockwave as Neji was propelled to the ground fast. He crashed on the ground with a sickening thud as a crater formed around him and dusted picked up off the ground.

The crowd was in awe at what had transpired. That combo hadn't taken 3 seconds at most, and in those three seconds, he had countered, launched Neji into the air, and kicked him back down to the ground like a rag doll. Even Naruto himself couldn't believe himself what had happened. And he was the one that did it!

"Wow. This is freaking awesome!" Naruto shouted in joy as he landed on the ground. He jumped up and punched the air as he ran around the stadium in joy.

"Oh man oh man oh man oh man oh man! I don't know who exactly you are Shima-oba-chan, but the moment I summoned you. I got really strong! Arigatou! Now I can beat Neji's ass into the ground!" Naruto shouted in glee as he looked over to Shima. Who was only smiling at him with fondness.

"You act just like Jiraiya-chan Naruto-chan. Was it Jiraiya who trained you to use Sage mode?" Shima asked. Naruto stopped running and looked at the toad with confusion on his face.

"Sage mode? What's that? And no. He just made me sign the contract." Naruto explained. Shima only narrowed her eyes at that explanation.

"You mean to tell me you summoned me by accident? How exactly didya manage to do that sonny? I'm not an ordinary toad by any means." Shima told Naruto, who only shrugged.

"Beats me. I was trying to summon boss toad 'Bunta, so I gathered all of my chakra. I was in that hole for ten minutes sitting still and gathering it." Naruto pointed towards the hole in the ground where he had hidden himself in. Shima narrowed her eyes at the explanation. After all, it was extremely improbable that a kid could have sat down perfectly still and accidentally activate Sage mode.

But as Shima was about to question him about that explanation. Both of them sensed danger behind them. Naruto immediately jumped high into the air to dodge the fist that would have otherwise cracked his skull. The attack landed on the ground forming a small crater around the fist and person that struck it.

Neji had gotten up apparently from the crater and launched an attack at Naruto. But what surprised him most however, was that he had _punched _the ground. It was by no means a Jyuuken attack.

"It would seem that fate deemed you a tougher opponent. But no matter. You will still lose." Neji stated as he got up from his position and got into a taijutsu stance. However, it wasn't the Jyuuken stance at all. It was the iron fist stance he saw Rock Lee used in the preliminaries. Naruto narrowed his eyes as he landed back on the ground.

"Damn. Looks like you have another trick up your sleeve." Naruto commented off handedly as he readied his own stance. Neji just smirked at him.

"Did you really think I only knew Jyuuken? That would have been utter suicide. Though rare, there are some opponents who do not use chakra or their chakra coils. And the Jyuuken primarily focuses on shutting down vital points in the body's chakra coils. As such, they do absolutely pitiful damage to the human body. Why do you think Hyuuga's are appointed capture missions so much? The Hyuuga fighting style is designed to subdue the enemy. To render them useless so they won't fight back. There are some lethal attacks in the arts of Jyuuken sure. But it would seem it is useless to you. So I would op to use a more direct means of damage to your body." Neji explained as he charged at Naruto, not giving him time to digest that knowledge.

Naruto rolled to the left as Neji suddenly appeared in front of him with a punch that was aimed for his gut. Naruto cursed at the speed of his opponent. Though it wasn't as fast as Lee, it was still fast enough to surprise him.

"Do not underestimate me Uzumaki. I may not be as proficient in this martial art as Lee or Gai-sensei are. But I assure you, I am proficient enough in it that you will lose." Neji stated as he disappeared from the crowds sight.

**XxX**

The crowd gasped at the sudden speed the young genin showed. It was unbelievably fast for a boy that young.

The ninja in the bleachers were on the edge of their seats again as they watched on. All of them interested in the turn of events. Kakashi had broken the silence as he turned to address Gai.

"Well, it's safe to say you don't show favoritism to your students." Kakashi commented. Gai only nodded as he watched the match. But before Kakashi could return his focus, Gai said something that made his heart stop.

"Unlike you Kakashi. I don't just train one student and leave the others to the wolves. I train them to be properly equipped for any situation. I've trained Neji, so I know his limits. And with those two kicks and punch to the chin. I know he is well past that limit. But he will continue to move past that limit to beat young Naruto-kun. It is, as he would say it "Fate" that he will lose. But not without showing everyone that he can defy fate by pushing his limits. It may sound like he is a hypocrite, but believe me when I say this. He was always a hypocrite. He cannot accept his fate, so he trains everyday so he can fight it. Naruto-kun and Neji aren't so different." Gai stated. Kakashi sighed and turned back to the match as he digested that piece of info.

"And it looks like I win Kakashi. I train my students better then you do." Gai stated off handedly. Kakashi didn't reply.

**XxX**

Naruto threw a punch again as he dodged Neji's fist which was aiming at his heart. Neji scowled as he managed to dodge another punch with ease. A few minutes ago, he was losing, badly. Now, he suddenly knows what and where he'll strike, it was really aggravating for Neji. Neji managed to tilt his head to the side, dodging Naruto's punch fully, but to his surprise, a force landed on his face, throwing him back forcefully. He was airborn for a total of 2 seconds, before skidding down on the ground. Naruto looked at his closed fist with confusion, only to shake his head and re-focus on the match at hand. Shima was still observing him from his shoulders.

'_The boy's a natural. This youngin' managed to use a Toad kata technique without prior knowledge. Pa'll have a field day when he meets this one.'_ She thought as she watched the young Hyuuga struggle to stand up.

Neji was not in the best of shape that much, he can feel. He had two broken ribs, a fractured right forearm, and he seemed to have a concussion, judging from the way the world was spinning. But nonetheless, he stood up and took a stance. He was not as well versed in the iron fist technique like Guy-sensei and Lee, but he knows how enough to knock out or possibly kill his opponent. The reason he switched to this Taijutsu technique was simple, he couldn't see Naruto's chakra points. It was like they had all gone out. True, he can see chakra from inside him, but it was like a blur. The points melded in with the chakra because he wasn't using them at all. If he used a technique, he would manage to see a few points, but it seems that every time he tried to use one, his summon stooped him by saying no. Neji grit his teeth as he observed Naruto, who, not a mere thirty minutes ago, was busy stalling time and losing badly. Now, he was standing tall, and looking menacing with his new red trench coat and open jacket. Not to mention his orange eyes and sideways pupil. Neji guessed that it was a dojutsu, but he shrugged it off since it was the first time he saw that kind of eye. But now he was wary of it, it seemed to grant him a sort of future sense, every time he made a move; Naruto had a counter to it before he could react.

Neji decided to just take him out from a distance. He was almost out of chakra, but he had a pouch full of kunai and shuriken at his beck and call. He swiftly pulled a kunai from his pouch and threw it at blinding speed. He held back a smirk, waiting for Naruto's reaction.

Naruto saw Neji reach behind him for something. He was going so slow, it was like he was fighting a bear. Powerful, yes. Fast? Hell no. Neji threw a kunai at Naruto at a mildly fast speed. But still, it was slower then an academy student's. He reached out, and grabbed the kunai in the air. He then started twirling it on his finger before he threw it back at blinding speeds. He saw Neji barely react in time before rolling to the left. The kunai whizzed past his leg, and shattered on the stadium's wall with a loud clang. He whistled as he saw that it had made a sizable fracture on the stadium wall. He also took note of the depth of it, almost as long as his index finger. As he was looking at the damage he did with the kunai, Shima took his attention back to the match.

"Hey Sonny. I s'ppose you should finish the match soon. A real shinobi doesn't take long drawn out fights. It gives their enemy time to recover and plan a counter." Shima explained. Naruto looked at his shoulder and only smiled cheekily at the old toad.

"Don't worry Shima-oba-chan! I haven't felt this good in years! I doubt whatever ponytail over there has got. I can take it no problem!" Naruto said, confidence in his voice. Shima only looked blandly at the boy. Naruto turned back to Neji, who was scowling deeply. He didn't see Shima shake her head.

"Alright ponytail! I'll end this with my next move! So whatever you got, you'd better throw it at me right now!" Naruto shouted with confidence. Neji scowled before throwing a handful of kunai and shuriken at the standing Naruto.

Naruto bobbed and weaved through them all and with each move, he took a step forward. Neji was sweating now, he knew that whatever he would do, he'd have to try to at least take him down with him. So he readied himself as Naruto approached.

After the final kunai was thrown, Naruto smiled and charged at Neji, fist raised and aiming for the knock-out blow. Neji readied himself back to his jyuuken stance, intent on taking Naruto out with him.

Naruto threw a punch, while Neji thrust his palm forward towards Naruto's chest, a seemingly white glow surrounding it.

Naruto's fist connected with Neji's face, while Neji's palm connected as well. A mild shockwave reverberated from the blows landing. Naruto slumped down on his knees, while Neji was thrown back. Neji skipped on the ground two times, before impacting on the stadiums wall, making a crater where he landed.

Naruto was on his knees, holding his chest tightly as he tried to gasp for air. Neji's last attack was chakra enhanced, and it seemed to knock all chakra out from Naruto's system.

'_Well now. It seems Neji tried to flush Naruto's system. He used all his chakra to forcefully inject Naruto's system with his own. Forcing Naruto's previous chakra to expel from his body forcefully. Truly a prodigy among prodigies." _Kakashi thought as he watched the final outcome. Gai watched with a smile as he looked at the outcome of the match. Truthfully, he wanted Neji to win. Sasuke had a better chance of actually getting through Neji when they battled. But with that final display, he didn't need a better reason for a reality check with Neji. He guessed, of all the people he could spout about destiny and fate, Naruto was the least likely to listen.

Kakashi and Gai turned back to the match as they heard Neji speak up.

"H-How?!" He stuttered as he looked up at the still kneeling Naruto. Who had a look of defiance on his face as he looked at Neji.

"S-simple really. I don't g-give a crap about fate. I'd rather crap on fate's face then to listen to it." Naruto said, stuttering as he tried to get his breathing under control. Neji growled.

"Why! You know nothing of fate! You know nothing of the hand it has dealt to me! Why do you-"

"SHUT UP!" Naruto shouted. The shout shocked the spectators, the volume of it reverberating. Neji looked at Naruto with shock on his face.

"Y-You can, can it! I don't give a crap if you're a slave. That's better then being the demon!" Naruto shouted at Neji as he looked in his eyes. Neji shuddered as he saw them flash different colors. From bright yellow, to ocean blue, and then blood red. It kept changing colors, changing designs, and Neji wondered at this time, what kind of dojutsu was that?

"You keep talking about having a seal, being branded for something you had no control over. Well, if anyone knows how that feels. I sure as hell do!" Naruto shouted. Neji was too shocked to react.

"When you were born, you were branded as a slave. When I was born, I was branded as a demon. When you were three, you had a father. When I was three, I was locked away in the cellar away from potential fathers. When you were five, you lost a father. When I was five, I lost a home. When you were eight, you had a family. When I was eight, I was alone in an apartment. When you were ten, you were a prodigy. When I was ten, I was a clown and a demon." Naruto shouted. Of course, most of those numbers were guesses. But he took his own experience and guessed. But that didn't matter right now, he had to get through this guy's head.

"I don't know if I was right with those numbers. But that doesn't matter! Truth is, you've had it better then I have. But that still doesn't matter! You don't believe in fate too! You're a hypocrite if you say you do! You say you're a slave, well since when were slaves given the chance to show that they were prodigies? Since when were slaves given the chance to be a ninja? Given the chance to live?" Naruto shouted as he started to hyperventilate. He was going to pass out soon, but he needed to let him hear this.

"I fought tooth and nail to get where I am today. To have a team of my own, to have friends. To have someone I care about. To have a brother, to have a crush that takes the time of day to bonk me on the head to get me in line, to have a sensei that doesn't teach me anything, but still cares about me. To have a grandfather who looks out for me, to have a teacher/brother who wants nothing more then to see me succeed in my dream. To have a father figure who cooks for me, to have a sort of sister who teases me about how I'm cute and may want to date me." Naruto stopped briefly at this, and started to gasp faster. Nonetheless, he looked back up at Neji's eyes.

"All of this, I worked for. Like how you worked for your strength. You weren't born with it. And if you were, you worked it so you can get better! Fate didn't tell you to do all of that! You did it to spite whoever pissed you off. So, - *wheeze – before you spout about things you say fate gave you. Look back and see how much you trained." Naruto finished as his eye's receded behind his skull. Naruto slumped forwards. Sprawling himself on the floor, unconscious. Neji looked wide-eyed at what happened, and closed his eyes as he tried to hold back tears. That was a reality check for him. He should have seen it sooner.

The proctor looked at both competitors, eyeing them both; he raised his hands to declare it was a draw. Before a sudden wave of malicious intent washed through him. His eyes widened as he recognized the feeling. He looked at Naruto, and saw him slowly standing up, radiating red chakra in waves.

Shima, who had gotten off of Naruto's shoulders and was now on the ground behind him, looked in awe at the power. She knew what was happening, she just didn't think it would happen now.

'_Looks like the Kyuubi doesn't like Natural chakra. It probably started to fight it the moment it sensed that it was in Naruto's body. But Naruto managed to force it down for awhile. Now though, the other youngin's attack helped it.' _Shima thought as she looked on at the slowly standing Naruto, who was pulsing wave after wave of mixed chakra. As Naruto fully stood up, he roared loud.

**XxX**

**Congratulations to me! I have made a lot of people angry!**

**Don't worry, I won't take too long with the next chapter. But to explain what's happening. Well, Kurama still doesn't like Naruto. And it doesn't like having something else inside of Naruto's body. Kurama doesn't like sharing. So, to sum it up. He's trying to force all the foreign chakra from Naruto's body. But, seeing as Sage chakra is thicker then normal chakra, it makes sense that it'll take awhile before it'd be expelled. But. Neji's attack, which forced all chakra from Naruto's body, just gave the Kurama's chakra instant access to Naruto's body. Meaning, it bottled up, but the sudden release of pressure flooded Naruto's body with Kurama's chakra. And we all know how that turns out. So, prepare for a rampaging Naruto. Maybe.**

**Anyway, that's all for this chapter. See that little box below you? That's the review box. It's meant to make writers write faster. More reviews equals faster updates. Gives them something called 'Inspiration.' But I won't force you guys. This chapter is a gift for you guys, and now that I've given it to you. I have no obligation to make you like or hate it. But I have an obligation to the gift I made. So, I hope that you all like this chapter gift. And if you did, tell me how you feel by reviewing. Like it, hate it, doesn't matter. Tell me. And if you think it's missing something else, tell me too. C.O.Y.L out, peace!**


	3. Chapter 3: Fear

**The Road to Toad**

**Disclaimer: If you think I own this, you are mistaken. I own nothing except my own ass. Literally. Even if you buy a house, you still have to pay taxes for it, and if you don't pay them, you'll be kicked out by the government. Now how messed up is that? **

**Hey guys. I just have to say, I'm amazed with the feedback this fic is getting. Thank you guys for the reviews. It's a little too much to take in for me, the review count doubled with the last chapter. So did the favorite and follow count. Thank you guys. But I need to say something, I don't normally do review replies, seeing as it just needlessly enlarges the word count, something that I don't want. I don't like deceiving people on how many words I have uploaded. So, here is my compromise, every 5 or so chapters, I'll dedicate one chapter with replies. Now note; I'll keep the replies short. And I will upload a chapter with it, meaning that you don't have to wait for the next chapter, and just skip over this reply chapter. Hope this will get your attention, I don't want people being shocked by a sudden review reply chapter.**

**Also, in this chapter, there will be more fighting. But it will simmer down. Somewhat.**

**Next, as I'm writing this, you'll find things that will be very different then canon. Most noticeably when Naruto goes for his training trip. But not only that, it will have a lot more surprises. Hopefully, this will get your attention and keep reading. Now, on with the show!**

**Also please note, there will be a lot of scene changes in this chapter. Just a heads up.**

**XxX**

A menacing roar resounded through the stadium. A roar that was eerily and terrifyingly familiar to the older generation of people. It was the roar of a creature so powerful, that it could crumble mountains. A creature so massive, it left earthquakes as it moved. A creature so malice filled, it made everyone want to die instead of being subjected to it. And right now, that same creature was inside the stadium, right in the middle of them all.

"**RAARRGGHH!" **The sound of the roar reverberated, causing chills to go down everyone. No one dared move, for they feared they would be targeted. The audience just sat dumbfounded at this turn of events. While the Shinobi were frozen in shock, afraid for their lives as they remembered what happened all those years ago.

The creature in the middle of the stadium was releasing malice in waves. Its red chakra oozing off its skin. It barely looked human, the only thing evident that it was once human, was that it had the look of the boy it was sealed in.

The creature's hair, sun-kissed blond, was even more of a mess then before. It grew spikier and unkempt. The whisker marks thickened, as well as darkened. Its dark orange trench coat disintegrated the moment it released its chakra. However, its previous blue and orange jacket was still opened, revealing the badly damaged black t-shirt underneath. Likewise, it had on orange pants that reached just before its ankles. The creature also wore blue sandals.

The crowd could not – _would not – _move. They didn't want what was down there to charge at them. As they looked on in shock and awe, the creature seemed to twitch, though it was barely seen by the civilians, the shinobi saw it the moment it happened.

Suddenly, the twitching intensified. The head rapidly moving left and right, almost as if it was in pain. The creature let out another roar, and it started convulsing right after. The creature bucked, and fell on the ground writhing and twitching, roaring all the way.

The audience couldn't believe what they were seeing, the malice filled creature suddenly looked like it was in pain, like it was fighting something inside its body. The crowd of civilians took this opportunity to start throwing whatever they could, hoping to end the creature's life. They threw sacks of potato chips, shoes, even heavy purses filled with coins. All in the hope that whatever was down there, would continue being in pain and ignoring them.

The shinobi would have stepped forward, but they feared for their own skin too much. They wouldn't go down there, not unless it was a direct order by the Hokage. They knew what it was, and they didn't want to have anything to do with it.

As all of this was happening, the creature, which was previously known as Naruto Uzumaki, kept writhing, grasping its chest as if its heart was burning. The creature started crying, almost as if in the worst pain imaginable. The creature suddenly stopped, catching everyone's attention. They stopped throwing, they stopped being scared. Their feelings changed from fear, to curiosity at the sudden cease of movement.

After a few seconds however, their fear returned tenfold.

The suddenly started to get up, radiating wave after wave of red, blood colored chakra. The creature seemed to form a cloak of red chakra around itself. The cloak started forming a shape, a shape of a bipedal fox with one tail.

As the creature fully stood up, everyone suddenly felt a chill run through them. Its eyes, which were previously covered by its hair. Was slanted, not horizontally like before. But vertically, shaping like a diamond, unlike rectangle before.

The creature roared again.

**XxX**

"Neku, Tenzo!" Sarutobi shouted as he stood up. The two ANBU suddenly appeared by his side, kneeling. Sarutobi turned and started walking towards the exit. But not without telling both ANBU what to do.

"Neku, go find Jiraiya, tell him that the Kyuubi is breaking free. Tenzo, try to subdue Naruto. I give you permission for restraint release. Go now, do not waste time." Sarutobi ordered as he exited the Hokage box. He didn't even hear his ANBU respond before he was out of there.

This however, left the Kazekage alone with his lone bodyguard. The bodyguard approached the Kazekage before kneeling down and whispering to the Kazekage's ear.

"Orochimaru-sama. The army is waiting for your signal. They won't attack yet, but they are getting impatient." The bodyguard said. The Kazekage – Orochimaru – only smiled under his mask.

"Tell them to wait a bit more Kabuto-kun. Jiraiya away from the frontlines gives them a bigger advantage. Not to mention the fact that having a demon loose in the middle of an invasion would turn heads in fear. And I want to see what happens to young Naruto-kun. He is just full of surprises it seems." Orochimaru mused as he looked at the blood red cloaked genin start to approach its down opponent. The proctor having been knocked away like it was a fly. He tried to protect the Hyuuga, how foolish. Was Orochimaru's thoughts as he eagerly waited for what was to happen next.

Kabuto only smirked under his hood, silently agreeing with his master.

**XxX**

Kakashi had taken a stand in front of the genin as he saw Naruto start changing. He cursed silently as he watched Naruto start convulsing and then stops, only to stand up with an even more menacing roar. Add to that fact that Naruto was using the Kyuubi's chakra, well; you can guess why he had a colorful vocabulary right now. Judging by Gai's body language, well, he could guess that he was thinking the same thing too.

Kakashi took a subtle glance at Gai, who nodded as he readied himself. Kakashi knew that they had to subdue Naruto, as he was now. He'll kill a lot of people if he wasn't knocked out. The only problem was the genin behind him. He didn't know how they would react to this revelation, but that didn't matter right now. Naruto was a bigger problem. He made a note to talk about what they saw later.

Kakashi readied himself to jump in the stadium, aiming to fight the berserk Naruto. But he suddenly froze as sand started gathering and forming a figure in front of Naruto and Neji. The sand took the form of the red haired sand ninja that had injured Lee during the preliminaries. Kakashi's blood went cold.

Of all the people that didn't care about collateral, it was this boy – Gaara. Whatever was going to happen now, it would best to keep away from it. He was surprised however when Gaara picked up the injured form of Neji, followed by the proctor, before he forcefully threw them to the bleachers using his sand. Thankfully, they landed by the crowd, so they had someone to catch them. But, the problem now was what was going to happen.

Kakashi almost charged, but a hand on his shoulder stopped him. He turned his head, and was met by Gai's solemn face. Gai shook his head, indicating that if he stepped in there, where a battle of demons was to take place, he would die. Naruto right now had no control, so the only way to get him to stop was to fight him. And Gaara had given them that opportunity. He sighed as he turned around and faced the terrified genin. Well, except Sasuke and Shikamaru. One was scowling, while the other had a serious face. He then motioned his hands, silently prompting them to look at him. Now it was about getting the people out of the stadium and to safety.

**XxX**

"**RARRGGHH!" **Naruto's body roared as it charged at the manically grinning Gaara. Gaara made no move to stop him, only raising his hand, and sending a wave of sand towards Naruto. The sand impacted and managed to stop Naruto in his tracks. The sand pushed against the standing Naruto, trying to overpower him. Naruto, who had raised his hands in an X to defend himself, started steadily walking forward. Pushing against the raging sands with his strength. This caught the sand ninja off guard for a fraction of a second, but started pushing back even more, trying to overpower the frenzied boy. Finally, Naruto snapped, losing his footing for a second. That was all it took to have his body being thrown into the air by the sand. The sand continued to push against him in the air, and finally, he impacted on the stadium wall. The sand pushing against him was making him stay in place.

Gaara was smiling manically as he pushed even more sand at the struggling Naruto. He knew that he still had strength; all that was left was to release it. Naruto gurgled as the sand started piling up, starting to get in his open mouth.

As he was buried and the sand stream stopped however. The ground started shaking, and then Naruto burst from the sand, the sand erupting at all sides, forwards, sideward, and up against the wall. Naruto's red cloak flared up, suddenly heating the air. The sand, which was still airborne, started to crystallize into glass, turning the harmless sand into lethal projectiles. The glass skewered against everything, the ground, the trees, and the now empty seats of the stadium.

After that little display of power, Gaara was in awe. He never would have guessed that that would happen. He guessed th-

He didn't get to finish that thought as Naruto suddenly appeared in front of him, right arm stretched upwards, the cloak forming some sort of claw. Before he could get his defense up, Naruto slashed down.

Gaara shouted in pain, blood spurt from his right shoulder where the claw landed. Before he could finish his scream however, Naruto had kicked him, throwing him sideward, blood flowing through the air in front of him. He waited for the wall to hit his side, but he was suddenly kicked on his other side, suddenly stopping him in the air. The counter acting g-forces pushing his body in itself, crushing him. He coughed up blood, before it the forces finally relented.

He then heard a roar, before he was suddenly grabbed by something made of chakra, - presumably the tail -, and then thrown into the air, spinning backwards.

The blood still dripping, he grabbed his shoulder and looked at his hand. Red blood, _his _blood was being spilled. His vision started darkening as he let out an inhuman scream. Naruto however, was undeterred. He reached out with his hand and a red chakra hand extended towards Gaara, who was still screaming blood. Naruto then promptly threw his hand downwards, dragging Gaara with him. Gaara was forcefully slammed on the ground, a large dust cloud kicking up as he landed. Naruto's chakra hand receded, before he let loose another roar. Gaara's screaming had stopped during this roar; Naruto seemed to snap to attention as he looked on towards the dust cloud.

Suddenly, a hand made of sand exploded from the dust cloud, extending towards Naruto, who batted away the hand in time. The hand soared past Naruto's face and impacted on the wall, puncturing it. The hand receded back towards the dust cloud, the wall crumbling as it did so. Naruto didn't seem to be deterred, only opting to crouch down on all fours as he growled.

The dust cloud was suddenly dispersed, revealing a possessed Gaara.

Gaara was now fully incased in sand that took the form of a bipedal raccoon. The upper body was bulky, while the lower body had no sand whatsoever. The arms were thick with sand, while the chest seemed to puff up and down, as if the sand itself was breathing. Gaara's face was hidden underneath a new face, this one made of sand and more animal like. It resembled a raccoon, and had black eyes with yellow irises. Its sand teeth seemed to be razor sharp as well.

Gaara roared, almost as if taunting Naruto. Naruto, roared back, not backing down.

"**NYAHAHAHA! UzUmaKi! I wilL kIll you!" **Gaara's inhuman voice roared as he charged.

**XxX**

Tenzo was now carefully eyeing the fight between both demons. He couldn't just blindlessly charge in there. He would die. Instead, he prompted to watch and strike at the right time. He can't restrain both demons, he was nowhere near that level. He watched as the possessed Gaara threw multiple shuriken made of sand at Naruto, who nimbly dodged each and every one. Tenzo clicked his tongue as he watched the speed of Naruto and the power of Gaara. He really couldn't make a mistake here. Thankfully, Kakashi-senpai had evacuated the premise. Meaning no one would get hurt, but still, he had a sinking feeling that something was wrong. Hokage-sama had ordered for Naruto to be restrained. And that was the gist of it, only restrained. Whatever he was going to do, he can't knock the boy out, only restrain him. Just what was the Hokage thinking?

He was suddenly released from his thoughts. He dodged to the left as a giant sand shuriken landed where he was watching the fight.

'_That was way too close.'_ He thought as he eyed the sand shuriken impaled on the wall. It had cut deep and was halfway buried into the wall. The shuriken then started to dissolve into regular sand. Tenzo refocused on the fight, and saw that he had a chance to restrain both demons. Both fighters were locked hand in hand in the middle of the field, each trying to overpower the other. But neither budged as they pushed against each other. One had a manic grin on his face, the other, an angry expression. Tenzo jumped down towards the field, swiftly forming the horse seal.

Suddenly, the ground around both demons started to get uneven. After a few seconds, wood sprouted from the ground and enveloped both demons. The wood was smooth, but that didn't stop it from spiraling around both demons, carefully enveloping both in darkness. After those few seconds of forming a wooden stalactite, Tenzo pushed even more chakra into his technique.

A wooden box with a smooth surface was made, the box landed on top of the wooden spire, covering it. The wooden box had bars, almost as if it were a wooden prison. Tenzo released a breath he didn't know he was holding. That took a lot from him.

He carefully inspected his creation, looking around it for any cracks or any misshapen sides. The last thing he wanted was for either of them to break free.

He was taken out of his thoughts by a sudden spike of chakra behind him. He turned, ready to strike, but relaxed right after. Neko had come with Jiraiya, and judging from Neko's body movement and Jiraiya's bruised face, he didn't come without acting like himself. Jiraiya approached Tenzo, whistling as he eyed the wooden structure.

"Well, at least we have a way to restrain him, now tell me. What the hell happened that caused him to go berserk?" Jiraiya asked as he approached the wooden cage and placed a hand on it. As he was inspecting the cage, he heard a voice that made him turn around in shock.

"I'll answer that Jiraiya-chan." The nasally old woman's voice sounded.

**XxX**

Orochimaru smiled as he saw his previous team mate enter the stadium. He gestured for Kabuto, who nodded and sent out a flare of chakra.

'_This will be too much fun.' _Orochimaru thought with a small smirk as he disappeared with a shunshin. Kabuto following right after.

**XxX**

"Ma!" Jiraiya shouted in surprise as the small old toad landed on his shoulder. Shima only nodded her greeting as she looked at the wooden cage.

"I know for a fact that you trained him Jiraiya-chan, but I need to ask a question. Did you teach him about Sage mode?" Shima asked as her eyes narrowed at Jiraiya. Jiraiya felt the scrutinizing gaze on him. He shook his head in the negative.

"No. And if I ever did, he'd still be training with me, not out here fighting. Why? Did he activate Sage mode?" Jiraiya asked curiosity in his voice evident. Shima only nodded, which caught Jiraiya's attention. Jiraiya sighed; he knew this kid was unpredictable. But seriously? Activating Sage mode? Might as well pull Samehada from his ear and a Sharingan eye from his ass.

"I won't ask, but right now I have to make a suppression seal. Hey you, wood ANBU." Jiraiya tried to get Tenzo's attention. Tenzo snapped to attention, but not without a noticeable grimace.

"Hai Jiraiya-sama?" Tenzo asked with a small hint of sarcasm. Jiraiya either ignored it, or didn't hear it.

"Can you hold the boy for ten minutes? This seal is intricate and takes time and a steady hand." Jiraiya said, Tenzo visibly grimaced.

"I'm sorry Jiraiya-sama, but I can't. If he was alone, then I could, as it stands; I can only stall them for three minutes." Tenzo said. Jiraiya raised an eyebrow at this. It was Shima who answered his unspoken question.

"He ain't alone in there Jiraiya-chan. Another boy, I'm guessing the Shukaku Jinchuriki judging from the raccoon face, is in there as well." Shima explained. Jiraya clicked his tongue in frustration. This woulda been so much easier if…..

"Alright, I'll see what I can do, but stall as long as possible. The old man probably has backup seals, and he's probably getting them as we speak. But, just in case, I'll try making some right here. Now, just try to- DUCK!" Jiraiya shouted as he jumped to the ground, Neku and Tenzo following suit. A large blast of air impacted with the wooden structure, shattering it and sending wooden splinters in the air. Neku was the first to recover as she unsheathed her ninjato, she scanned the area and saw that a Sand shinobi had sent that attack their way. She jumped and charged at the Sand shinobi, ninjato poised to strike.

She landed behind the shinobi, her sword extended to her side. She carefully stood up, and flicked away blood from her sword. The shinobi erupted in blood. The shinobi gurgled, and fell down on the floor, dead.

Neku carefully eyed the shinobi, wondering why he had attacked. But she needed to dodge an attack coming at her from behind. She rolled to the right. After the tumble, she took a kenjutsu stance as she eyed her opponent. It was another Sand shinobi. She narrowed her eyes at what was happening. She could see that behind her opponent, were several other Sand shinobi in the stadium, some had hostages, while others were fighting the couple Leaf shinobi that stayed during Naruto's relase.

She clicked her tongue, letting out audible 'tsk'. Turns out, the Intel was right, and that they were now being invaded.

**XxX**

As the dust cleared, Jiraiya had to dodge as a sand shuriken tore through the air towards him. The sand shuriken dissipated in the air as he landed on the wall. Before he could recollect his thoughts however, Shima jumped in the air and enveloped Jiraiya with her tongue as she pulled him from the wall and into the air. She had just saved his life.

Naruto was sailing through the air as he landed on the spot on the wall where Jiraiya had landed before. The wall crumbling as Naruto burst on the other side, giving the thick battle wall a hole. The possessed Gaara roared as he gave chase, jumping through the hole and towards the other side.

Jiraiya grew frustrated at this. They had just taken their fight from a controlled environment, towards a heavily urban environment.

'_This just got a hundred times more difficult.'_ Jiraiya thought in frustration as he was carefully placed on the ground by Shima. Shima then promptly unwrapped her tongue around Jiraiya before landing on his shoulder.

"Damn it. This is bad, looks like the invasion is in place, and both Jinchuriki running loose in the middle of the village will speed things up for them." Jiraiya thought out loud. Shima only nodded. She then started running though hand seals.

"Alright Jiraiya-chan, I'll summon Pa. Just make sure Naruto-chan stays alive. Pa'll love to meet him." Shima said as she finished her hand seals. She then promptly slammed her hand on Jiraiya's shoulder. A puff of smoke erupted from her hand. After a few seconds, the smoke started to recede into Jiraiya's other shoulder, revealing another bi-pedal toad standing.

This toad had a coat just like Shima's, except it was olive green. The toad also seemed to have a white piece of hair on its head.

The toad looked around with its small squinted eyes, before finally landing on the sheepish smile of Jiraiya.

Jiraiya was nervous. He was sweating, and he his legs were shaking. Who knows what Pa'll do? But nonetheless, he smiled and spoke. "Yo! Pa! Long time no se- OW! Damn it!" He grabbed his head in pain. He looked up to see that the small toad had an enclosed fist.

"Right Jiraiya. I don't have time for any of your foolishness. Tell me, why did you summon me now of all times? And why did you decide to take away the coat I was making?" The old toad asked Jiraiya, who was still nursing his head from the punch. Jiraiya looked up in confusion at the last part of that sentence.

"Coat? What coat? And I didn't summon you. It was Ma. OW!" He reeled again as he was bonked once again. "What was that for?!" He questioned. The old toad only shrugged.

"For summoning Ma instead of me." The toad said bluntly. Jiraiya just grumbled something about senile deaf old toads under his breath. It was at this time however, that there little reunion was cut short as a Sand shinobi charged forward, kunai in hand, poised to strike. Jiraiya nimbly dodged the strike, and planted a kick to the ninja's face. He didn't let up as he used the force of the kick to drag the ninja to the ground, his foot on the ninja's face.

"Ma, tell Pa about the situation. I need to focus right now, with Naruto running around fighting that other kid, who knows what kind of damage they'll both do. To themselves as well as the village." Jiraiya said calmly as he took a fighting stance as more Sand shinobi surrounded him and the toads on his shoulder. Ma didn't respond, only nodding her head slowly as she moved to Jiraiya's other shoulder to talk to Pa. They needed to get to that Naruto boy, but first, they had to deal with these people in their way.

**XxX**

**At the same time, outside the arena…**

A loud crash erupted from the stadium, followed by a dust cloud. From that dust cloud, a red cloaked figure shot out, landing on a nearby building, causing a similar dust cloud and crash from before. After that crash, another figure leapt out of the hole the first one had made, this one, dripping with sand.

Gaara roared as he took a steady stance on the ground, waiting for his opponent to recover. He raised his right arm up just in time as a red claw extended from the building and charged at him.

His sand arm blocked the burning red claw. The claw receded back into the building and into a standing figure. The figure roared as it disappeared from the building, picking up dust and wind with it.

Gaara scanned the perimeter. He took in the chaos of battles around him. The chaos of a war, he watched as blood splattered on walls, as bodies started piling up, as limbs were severed.

But he didn't care about those right now. He was too preoccupied with looking for his opponent to care about others blood. He wanted the blood of his opponent, his mother wanted it.

Gaara then raised his left arm up and grabbed a red claw that tried to swipe at him. He pulled hard and threw the figure over his head and on the ground.

Naruto landed with a thud as the force pushed saliva out of his mouth. He groaned in pain, but managed to roll out of the way as a sand fist landed on the ground he was on. He pushed his body from the ground and turned around, his fierce canines elongating as he stared at the Sand monster.

He started to froth at the mouth as he clenched his teeth in anger. His eyes redirecting focus towards his one target. He got on his hands and feet, and charged at full speed, fist raised.

Gaara couldn't block the punch in time; he was pushed back by the punch's force. A velocity ring formed behind him as Naruto pushed back harder. After an instant, the force caught up and he was launched backwards at amazing speeds. He crashed through a building and went through its other end, but didn't stop there. He went through two more buildings, before stopping on a third one. The building crumbled down on top of him, burying him in rubble.

Naruto let loose another feral howl as he watched the building implode onto Gaara. He waited for his opponent to surface, but was blindsided by a strong gust of wind from his right.

He skidded on the ground as the wind picked him up; but the force wasn't enough to send him flying needlessly. He was picked up from the ground, and he kept falling on the ground repeatedly as he was swept away. He crashed on the side of a building, the building's walls crumbled before him like Gaara's had on him.

Whoever had attacked him had apparently not been convinced that he was down, as he heard a strong hissing sound right above him. And judging from the numerous echoes, it sounded like there were numerous tags right above him. And he had nothing to defend himself with.

**XxX**

Temari shielded her body with her large fan as the explosion erupted from the building. She dug the fan on the ground and hid behind the thick metal, but the shockwave had still managed to move her back a bit.

The dust picked up as the shockwave washed over her. Finally, after a few seconds of a breathtaking shockwave washing over her, reprieve. She sighed in gratification that the worst was over.

She shot a glare to her right side as she watched her brother step out from his iguana puppet. "You know you didn't have to go overboard with that? That probably attracted a lot of Konoha nin."

Kankuro only snorted dismissively. "Yeah, and I'm supposed to be more scared of them than a rampaging Gaara? Yeah right." He said with reserve.

"Anyway, right now we have to watch out for Gaara. His defense may be thick, but there is no way he'll surviv- Ghk!" She didn't get to finish her sentence as she was suddenly grabbed by the neck. An arm made of sand turned her around and face to face with a manic Gaara, complete with closed eyes and bleeding forhead, he also appeared to be numerously bigger then before, - and still growing at that - as if more sand was accumulating around his body. She suddenly felt very small.

Similarly, next to her. Kankuro shared the same fate, albeit in a different position. He was held by his ankles and dangled upside down. His hands dragging on the ground as he looked up to see Gaara's face.

"**NyaHahA! FiNalLy! A ModIcUm of ConTroL! I caN FiNaLlY leT loose!" **The voice was that of Gaara's, but the user was not that of the Sand genin's. Instead, it sounded like a demon had possessed and taken over his body. Which didn't sound farfetched as he was already starting to transform beforehand.

Kankuro tried to swallow as best he can. But being upside down wasn't helping him at all. He carefully eyed the sand arm, and wondered if he could cut it with one of his puppets.

Similarly, Temari was thinking the same thing, only, she was thinking of smashing the hand off. But her fan had fallen from her grip when she was grabbed. And she couldn't reach it from this high.

Both siblings waited with baited breath as they observed Gaara/Shukaku start gathering more sand and increasing his size exponentially. Before long, the monster was over fifty feet tall and towering over most of the village buildings.

Temari and Kankuro were dragged up as the monster size increased. They were now level with Chuunin exam stadium. They let out a break of nervous sweat as a fall from that height could easily kill them. They were panicking now, how were they supposed to get out of this situation?

But as they were pondering how they were getting out of this predicament. The sand arms suddenly jerked, dragging them with it. They caught a brief look of two sticky mucus covered red ropes tie themselves around the arm. The arms were pulled to the side, opposite each other and to the side of the giant raccoon sand monstrosity.

The ropes tightened and before long, the strain was too much and the arms were torn by the ropes. The sand arm started dissipating midair, freeing both Kankuro and Temari. They both screamed as they fell towards the ground, helpless to stop.

But to their surprise, another pair of stick ropes caught them and put them down gently on the ground. Before it then receded back to where they came from. They searched for whoever owned the ropes. But was caught off guard as a man with a red obi and wooden sandals appeared in front of the released Shukaku.

**XxX**

"Woah! This thing's as big as 'Bunta!" Jiraiya whistled as he stared up at the giant Tanuki. As he was observing the overly large raccoon, a pair of familiar weights landed on his shoulder. Signaling that the old pair of toads finished their jobs. He heard coughing on both sides and repressed his giggle at that reason.

"Bleagh. The Kyuubi tasted better than this thing. At least the Kyuubi had fur, this thing has sand, lots of sand." A voice sounded on his right. Jiraiya turned and smiled at the old sage toad.

"Relax Pa, you don't have to keep doing that. But thanks for doing it anyway; at least it brought us time." Jiraiya explained, his face steeling as he looked up at the giant raccoon who was screaming bloody murder.

The giant figure was pretty straight forwardly shaped. It was the figure of a plump raccoon made of sand, one giant tail, two stubby legs, a face that only a mother could love, and two giant arms with claws. Well, two stumps for arms.

Jiraiya was pondering on what to do; he looked up to the arm stumps and saw that it was beginning to regenerate back into full arms. _'This is going to be annoying. We can't rightfully destroy this thing. It's made of sand, any and all physical damage will just be soaked up. Damn it.'_

Jiraiya was racking his brain for a plan, and he was currently drawing a blank. He dodged the giant tail that swept towards him, knocking over buildings as it swung towards him. He jumped high into the air, trying to jump over it.

He cleared it, but his right leg, which was lower than his left as he used his right to push himself up, was nicked. He tumbled to the right, spinning wildly. He carefully placed one hand out in front of him as he tried to brace himself for impact. He landed and rolled himself on the ground. He straightened himself as he assessed the damage done to his leg. Thankfully, it was just a light graze, but a rather strong graze it was.

The old male toad gazed up at the giant Tanuki, and let out an audible sigh. Jiraiya and Shima turned and looked at the old toad. One had a look of terror, and one with confusion respectively.

"H-hey Fukasaku. Don't tell me you can't beat this thing? I know you're old and – " Jiraiya didn't get to finish his sentence as he was abruptly rapped on the head, again. "Son of a- What the hell was that for?!" He asked while rubbing his head of the now newly formed bruise. Fukasaku didn't respond as he just sighed again. Shima was looking at him expectedly however, as if waiting for something brilliant.

"Listen Jiraiya-chan. I know you're scared right now, and I know you want me to think of something spectacular. But this thing won't go down so easily, it has enormous power, and it's pretty fast to boot. Not to mention that it's made entirely out of sand." Fukasaku listed, each one made Jiraiya twitch. He knew all that for crying out loud. What he needed was a way to stop this thing from rampaging to for him to seal it, at least, seal the beast back in. Also, it didn't help much that he didn't know what kind of seal was used on this Jinchuriki, for all he knew, it was a custom made seal and nothing he knew about. He was going to be taking a shot in the dark when making the seal of this thing.

He shook his head as he tried to refocus on the giant raccoon. The sand monster roared loud, as if it were about to attack. And then it started walking away from the stadium and over towards the center of the village. He let out a low growl as he jumped up high, towards a buildings rooftop.

"Listen Jiraiya. I know you want to stall this thing, but right now. Me and Ma won't do much, I could slow it down with water. But it'll only delay the inevitable. What you need is someone else, someone its size." Fukasaku explained to Jiraiya, who was jumping from rooftop to rooftop, trying to keep up with the currently walking monstrosity. Jiraiya didn't give any indication that he heard what the old toad said, but his reply made the toad think otherwise.

"I know. But right now, you're my best shot here. Making a seal for a giant raccoon monster made of sand will take some time and chakra. All I'm asking is five minutes, after that, you can both rest." Jiraiya tried to reason. Fukasaku silently contemplated it, thinking over if Ma and he could stall this thing for that long. The kyuubi's tail was one thing; a giant rampaging sand monster was another. After a few more seconds of silence, and a few seconds of Ma's eyes on him. He sighed. "Alright Jiraiya, we'll try stalling. But if things turn south, summon 'bunta. At least he can hold this thing down if he tried."

Jiraiya turned his head and gave a smile to the old toad. "Thanks Pa. I owe you a drink next time." Jiraiya said rather cheekily. As if they were talking casually and without a giant monster rampaging right in front of them.

**XxX**

"…ke…p….wa…- **UP!"** A commanding voice jolted Naruto awake. He jumped up and took a ready stance, looking around frantically for an attacker. But all he saw was a rather dreary sewer. He lingered around that thought for awhile, wondering if there was a sewer that was never dreary. But he shook his head clear and refocused on his surroundings. Waiting for an attacker to show themselves. What he got however, wasn't an attacker, rather, a menacing feeling of dread.

"**I cannot accept this."** A deep bellowing voice reverberated behind him. He knew that voice. And come to think of it, he knew this place as well. He knew where he was, and he knew who was right behind him. He steeled himself and carefully turned around and faced the demon that was sealed inside him. He looked up, and met its eyes. "Kyuubi…. What the hell do you want?"

The Kyuubi growled at him. **"I cannot accept this. Right now, out there. The Shukaku is laying siege on Konoha. And you're under a whole building knocked out. I cannot accept that the Shukaku is better than me."** The Kyuubi angrily explained. Naruto scoffed at his explanation, eliciting another growl from the Kyuubi.

"And what the hell do you expect me to do about it? During my match with Neji, you were trying so hard to pump my body with your chakra. And incase you didn't know, that hurt like a bitch!" Naruto shouted before the Kyuubi could say anything. The Kyuubi growled at him, angry that it was interrupted.

"**I don't share my own space. That chakra you used, I didn't like it. So naturally, like you humans always do, I expelled it."** The Kyuubi explained eerily calm. Though there was a hint of resentment in its voice.

Naruto raised an eyebrow at that explanation, not entirely understanding, but he knew one thing. It was his body. "Your space? It's my body! It's not _YOURS_!" Naruto shouted at the demon, no fear whatsoever in his voice. The Kyuubi merely chuckled at his bravado.

"**No, that it is not. But I'll be damned if I have to sit back and accept that." **The Kyuubi replied letting loose a few strands of chakra and into Naruto's side of the cage. Naruto tried to resist taking a step back, for it would show weakness, a weakness the Kyuubi could exploit. But the strands of chakra were thick, and the air seemed to permeate the smell of blood. He couldn't think straight, he was scared, scared that he was going to die. He looked up and stared at the eyes of the giant demon, and took a step back in fear. The Kyuubi smirked.

The red trails of chakra suddenly hardened, and charged at the boy. Its edges sharp, its speed blinding. Naruto couldn't let out a scream, as he was suddenly impaled by the chakra. He started convulsing as red marks started forming all over his body and clothes, as if he was being possessed.

"**Don't worry kit. I won't take full control, I can't. But right now, Shukaku needs to know his place."** Were the last words Naruto heard before he fell face first into the water, blacking out. His fear on the forefront of his mind.

**XxX**

She was getting tired. She didn't know what else to do in this situation, she never needed to fight this many people at one time. Not to mention she was a greenhorn ANBU. True, she was a chuunin before being scouted by an ANBU officer, but she really didn't have that much head on combat experience, especially when facing with three other jounin level shinobi.

She dodged to her left, narrowly avoiding a wind chakra coated shuriken sailing through the air. She returned the favor by throwing a few shuriken of her own. She cursed as her projectiles were dodged.

This was getting irksome for her, they had her surrounded, and she was already wearied down by previous fighting. She saw the gleam in her opponents eyes. She saw them smirk, she saw them steadily walk up to her position, and for the first time in a long time. She felt fear.

She was about to jump back to give her some breathing room, but found that it wasn't necessary as one of the Sand jounins surrounding her suddenly slumped down on the ground, bleeding profusely. She shifted her gaze towards the fallen shinobi, and found that his head was barely on his shoulders as he had a deep cut on his neck. Her fear evaporated at the sight, and after a minuscule second, she sprang into action.

She charged at the nearest one on her left, drawing her sword as she charged. In one swift motion, she was suddenly behind him, sword drawn with blood dripping on the edge. Before the body could fall however, she was already on the move. Charging the other shinobi, she poised her sword, ready to kill. And she did, with one swift slash through the torso.

Blood gushed out of the wound she had made, and the shinobi gurgled in pain, before falling back, having died on the way down.

She straightened herself and flicked the blood off of her sword. She glanced back at the first fallen shinobi, and found someone standing over the body, facing behind her.

This someone was a man. He had black hair and was wearing a green flak jacket and dark blue pants, signifying him as a member of the Konoha corps. On both hands were trench knives that had the faintest traces of blood on them. As the man turned around, she observed that he had a cigarette sticking out of his mouth. She silently grimaced as he took in a deep breath, shortening the stick and his life span. The man didn't mind however as he closed his eyes and savored the taste. She saw that he had a beard, a rough beard that stretched down to his chin and was connected with sideburns. On his hip, she saw that he had a white cloth with the kanji of 'fire' inscribed on it. It was also encircled with a small thin red circle.

The man opened his eyes after having his fill, and his gaze seemed to unnerve her. "What? No thank you?" He started, trying to get a response from her. She didn't respond, only staring blankly at him from behind her porcelain mask.

The man let out a small sigh and mumbled something incoherent from her position. "Whatever. Anyway, the guys and I have the stadium covered. Right now, the north and west gate are in danger of falling. They need backup right now."

She nodded her head in understanding, but before she could take off, he stopped her again. "And you won't be going to help either of them."

This set off alarm bells in her head as she turned around and readied into a fighting position, in case this man was implying what she was thinking. The man rolled his eyes at her, almost as if he was asking 'really?'

"That's not what I meant. Right now, Jiraiya-sama needs help with the rampaging Shukaku. In case you were deaf, that thing was released in the middle of the village, just behind the stadium. It roared pretty loud, makes me wonder if your hearing is any good." He chided humorlessly. She wasn't fazed. Only letting out a silent nod before jumping up on the balconies and exiting the stadium.

The man shook his head at the way that was handled before mouthing off 'No sense of humor.' At the retreating figure of the ANBU.

**XxX**

Asuma watched the ANBU leave. As he saw them leave, he took a whiff of his cigarette. Thanking whoever made them for the stress relief. Because right now, it was taking all his willpower to not run around and find a safe place to hide out.

Right now, he wanted nothing more than to go out there and find his students and get them somewhere safe. Fearing for each of their safety. He reasoned with himself that they could take care of themselves. And besides, he had bigger problems in here. Namely the large number of Sand shinobi coming out of the wood work. He had to cut down the numbers in here, else the village face the wrath of hundreds of Sand shinobi attacking from the center of the village.

He had rushed here the minute he saw Sand shinobi advancing from the opposite direction than the Sound shinobi.

The Sound shinobi were fighting to move inwards, towards the center of the village, as they were attacking from outside and coming towards the inside. Most of the Sound shinobi came from outside the gates, having come in after pushing back the Leaf shinobi from each respective gate.

But the Sand shinobi were a bigger threat. They came from inside the village, carefully moving their way towards the gate to meet with the Sound shinobi, effectively pinching the Leaf shinobi. The Leaf shinobi were literally between a rock and a hard place.

So, being the smart guy he was, he immediately charged towards where the Sand shinobi were coming from. He was close to the east gate when he noticed this, and he had cut down dozen's of Sand shinobi advancing outwards. They didn't put up much of a fight as they didn't expect resistance that far out from the gate, so he effectively cleared a path towards the source.

But as he neared the source, the chuunin exam stadium. He had heard a loud roar, a roar that was familiar, yet different at the same time.

It was the roar of a demon. The Shukaku namely. He was able to witness firsthand the transformation of the giant Raccoon, how it went from a bulky monster with human legs sticking out below it. To the full on sand raccoon demon it was now outside causing havoc and destruction.

He wanted to fight it, but the Sand shinobi were a bigger problem. With the Shukaku, it was being gunned down and fought by one of the Sannin. But with the Sand shinobi, they were being fought by shinobi with their back turned and not expecting an attack from the back. No brainer.

He took another whiff, before letting the cigarette drop on the ground. As he exhaled, he took off running, stomping down on the cigarette and effectively smothering it.

He jumped down into the stadium and prepared for a grueling battle. But before he could cut down a single person however, the battle was interrupted by another demon's cry. This one, even more malicious and powerful than the last one.

He knew what it was, and he knew it was bad news. But right now, he had a number of stunned and cowering Sand shinobi to cut down.

Yeah, being a ninja was never about the honor anyway.

**XxX**

"I think he should be around here! Ino please! Help me!" Sakura shouted with desperation as she desperately dug through the piles of rubble to where she saw Naruto land and the building collapse under an explosion.

Ino, Shikamaru, Chouji, Sasuke, and Sakura were all herding the terrified civilians out of the stadium after Naruto's weird transformation. They were more or less ordered by Kakashi to take the civilians to a safe place, namely outside the stadium.

Sakura had never been more thankful to Kakashi in her life.

Right after the last civilian was evacuated from the stadium. Multiple explosions rang out from inside the stadium and around the village.

At first they were surprised by that, but the surprise soon turned into realization as Sand shinobi started exiting the stadium, engaging any unsuspecting Leaf shinobi outside. As to why they weren't being targeted, well, maybe they weren't such a threat.

Sasuke had wanted to engage the Sand shinobi in combat, but thankfully. Shikamaru managed to talk some sense into him, explaining that they were way out of their league if they tried to fight. Shikamaru ordered them to hide, telling them to refrain from fighting head on. He told them to only engage if they had a clear shot and would knock the enemy out inconspicuously.

They all hid in different places, Sasuke jumped onto the stadium wall, scanning the battles going over around the stadium. Chouji and Shikamaru hiding in an alley, waiting for any sign of danger. And Ino and her, hiding behind the pillars holding up the stadium, just outside.

At first, nothing really happened, save for the occasional Sand shinobi bypassing their hiding places. But then, a loud crash and a building being smashed later. They were watching a transformed Naruto fighting an equally, if not more, transformed Gaara.

They watched as Naruto kicked Gaara, and Gaara blocking said kick. They watched Naruto punch Gaara with so much force and speed that the force needed to catch up to his punch. They watched Gaara sail through the air and crash into three buildings. They watched as the building Gaara stopped on crumbled down on top of him, seemingly ending the fight.

They watched as Naruto was suddenly picked up by a strong gust of wind that they had trouble staying on the ground with. They watched a repeat of what happened to Gaara happen to Naruto. They watched as the boy with the black suit and kabuki makeup throw numerous explosive tags attached to kunais at the rubble Naruto was under. They watched as the explosion tore through the building, effectively destroying the foundations and letting more ruble fall on the downed Naruto.

They watched as the kabuki kid and the fan girl were picked up by arms made of sand. They watched as said arms of sand were attached to Gaara who was steadily getting bigger. They watched as two small toads; one was the one Naruto summoned during his match, and the other a newer one; threw their tongues at the giant sand Raccoons arms and wrapped around on them. They watched as both toads squeezed both arms to oblivion. And they watched as both sand arms fell on the ground picking up wind and dust. Said wind and dust flew around the area, effectively blinding them for awhile.

It was at this point that they both stopped watching. Sakura turned to Ino, who was looking unsure as to what to do now. But Sakura knew what to do; she had to get her team mate out of the rubble he was under.

So the first chance she got, when Shukaku turned and started walking away, she ran towards the building where Naruto was supposed to be, Ino right behind her, albeit unsure what they were doing.

"Sakura… I hate to say it, but under all this ruble…" Ino started, her voice quavering as she watched her friend/rival desperately dig around the fallen building. Sakura did not let up however; instead, she dug with more vigor at those words.

"No Ino! You don't know Naruto! He's tough! I know he's still alive! Will you help me damn it! Naruto needs help!" She cried. Picking up more rubble as she tore through the whole building, looking for any signs of her team mate.

Ino couldn't take it anymore. She moved behind Sakura and hugged her lithe form. She steadied her as she started hyperventilating.

"No…. Naruto, please no!" Sakura cried even more. She stopped struggling as her body slumped, Ino tightening the grasp she had on her, trying to comfort her.

With a whisper, Ino said "I-I'm sorry Sakura. He's gone."

Sakura broke down at those words, her tears cascading down her pale face. Despair etched was etched into her face if one were to look at it.

Her team mate, gone. Just like that. She had failed him. She never wanted him dead, she never truly wished for that. As much of an idiot he was. But now, now he was gone. No more goofy smiles, any more idiotic one way bantering with her other team mate. No more team 7.

Her team was now incomplete without him, and with that thought, she sobbed even more. She leaned back into Ino's embrace, sobbing and letting her heart out. Not even noticing the tremors that were taking place thanks to the Shukaku's steps.

Ino grimaced as she got an uneasy feeling because of those tremors. Some of them were getting weaker, while a few seemed to be closer, like right below them…

"Sakura, we have to move out of here right now ok?" Ino carefully made Sakura stand, taking care as to not rattle the girl even more. They then made their over the fallen building and walking towards the nearby stadium.

As they were walking however, a loud roar interrupted their walk. They both turned and were immediately washed over with a feeling of malice. Not like the one they felt in the stadium, no, that was child's play compared to this. This malicious aura permeated death and carnage, hatred and chaos. They both shuddered as they unconsciously hugged each other in a protective manner.

Suddenly, the fallen building exploded, ruble was thrown through the air and numerous concrete blocks sailed past their position. They stared wide-eyed at who was standing in the middle of the rubble. Naruto.

Gone now was his orange jacket and trench coat. He was wearing a tattered version of his black t-shirt. His pants were shredded; looking like it came out of a blender. His headband was nowhere on his forehead, making his bangs fall in front of his eyes.

As they stared shocked and wide-eyed at the standing Naruto. They watched as he seemed to grow his nails in a matter of seconds. They paled at the implications this meant. He was transforming, again.

His whisker marks became thicker and more savage. His hair seemed to take an edgier side, and his teeth were elongating. They couldn't see his eyes, but they guessed that it was now slanted.

They watched in awe at this happening before them, it wasn't like the transformation inside the stadium, this was more controlled.

As they were watching, they observed a red cloak of chakra started forming around Naruto's body, just like the one they saw in the stadium. But instead of one tail, it seemed to grow two right behind him.

Ino was nervous, she didn't know what Naruto was going to do. But Sakura didn't share her sentiments. She only had one thing going in her mind. And that was that Naruto was alive and kicking.

Sakura struggled to break free from Ino's grasp, wanting nothing more than to hug Naruto, to really feel that he was alive. But Ino kept a steel grip, narrowed eyes observing the still standing Naruto.

It was a good thing she did though. As red chakra exploded from Naruto and blew away the rest of the building rubble. Effectively making them projectiles.

She couldn't react in time, and neither could Sakura. The ruble was going too fast; they had no chance of dodging. She closed her eyes in fear and waited for it to hit them.

**XxX**

**Cut. 30 pages. Too long. Seriously.**

**Anyway, this chapter was messy in my opinion, and I tried my best to cut out insignificant portions of it. But found that I only removed two scenes. It may look annoyingly rushed, or extremely frantic. But it all ties together, trust me on that.**

**Now, to clarify a few things.**

**Where is Sarutobi?**

**Why is Naruto afraid of the Kyuubi?**

**Why the hell is this chapter so crazy?**

**Well, to answer your questions in order.**

**Sarutobi is busy doing Hokage stuff that will impact the invasion thoroughly. As to him being attacked by Orochimaru, well, he'll have to corner him first.**

**Naruto isn't afraid of the Kyuubi. He was only intimidated by the serious look and bloodlust of the Kyuubi. Hey, if a giant fox demon looked at you in the eyes saying it wants revenge and won't let anything stop it. Won't you be intimidated too?**

**This chapter is crazy because people wanted longer chapters. I gave them that. Now, tell me what you think. There is a reason I don't do long chapters anymore. But meh, this is childish reasoning. I had to do a lot of writing, and I originally felt that this chapter suffered because of it. But no one's perfect. I won't bend to the whims of the masses anymore. I'll write how I want to write. Because if I write the way you people wanted me to, well, I'd be your bitch now wouldn't I? But in all seriousness, I have no responsibility in making you guys like this. My only responsibility is to this story, in me making it the best it possibly can be. So forgive me if I sound cold and aloof, but I don't really want to please anyone but myself when writing.**

**Anyway, tell me what you think of this chapter. Whether you like it or not though, I'll keep writing because I like writing. But other people's opinions never hurt me. I want to know if it's interesting or not to you people. **

**As to my other stories, namely Rise before Dusk and Second chances respectively. They're both halfway done. And be on the look out for two other stories on the way. One is a one shot about Harry Potter. And the other, about Kingdom hearts.**

**So anyway, R & R. Tell me what you think, if this chapter was crap or if it was THE crap. C.O.Y.L out, Peace!**

**EDIT: Wow, not 12 hours before this chapter was released, that there's an edited version of it. Anyway, I changed the title of the chapter from Invasion act I, to Fear. Added a small amount of dialogue and sentences to sharpen the general theme of fear. From inconsequential fear, to terrifying heart stopping fear.**


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